Preparation of higher alcohols by biomass-based syngas from wheat straw over CoCuK/ZrO2-SiO2 catalyst

A mesoporous composite CoCuK/ZrO 2 -SiO 2 catalyst with high activity and long life was prepared by vacuum impregnation and multisolvent self-assembly. The catalytic activity of the mesoporous catalyst was investigated for the synthesis of ethanol and higher alcohols from biomass syngas from wheat straw. The catalyst was characterized by small-angle X-ray diffraction, power XRD, N 2 adsorption and desorption experiments (BET), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The effects on the reaction activity and products from the addition of alkali metal promoter K, the modification of ZrO 2 and different copper/cobalt compositions were analyzed. The life of the catalyst was determined using a pressurized fixed-bed reactor. The results show that the catalyst possesses the high CO hydrogenation activity, high C 2+ OH selectivity and high life expectancy needed to meet industrial applications.